InsideHigherEd.com contributor F. King Alexander provided commentary Nov. 26 in “The Reality of State Disinvestment in Public Higher Education” on recent studies that have “produced an avalanche of questionable statistics to the effect that public institutions do not warrant taxpayer support.”  One study by Andrew Gillen of the Texas Public Policy Foundation was challenged in particular: “[The study] disparages reports of degeneration in state funding, maintaining that no real decline has occurred over the previous decades. The report claims that any alleged decrease in public investment in higher education is more perceived than real.”...

Chris Arnold of National Public Radio reported on economists’ latest views on student debt proposals from presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Nov. 25: “Economists say the dramatic proposals from Sanders and Warren to free millions of Americans from the burden of student debt could boost the economy in significant ways and help combat income inequality.” Arnold added, “The reason debt forgiveness could have a big impact on the overall economy is that a generation of Americans is making major life decisions differently because of student loans.” Arnold provided...

The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) hosted a free webinar, “Student Loan Benefits and Your Organization’s Retirement Program” Nov. 21. Different retirement plan programs and reasons why employers should offer student loan repayment as an employee benefit were discussed.  Pharmaceutical and health care products company Abbott Laboratories was featured as a case study for its innovative program designed to encourage employees to pay down their student debt by helping them save for retirement at the same time. For employers interested in benefits programs, the Veterinary Debt Initiative recently published an...

Darby Affeldt, DVM, RICP, is a financial advisor to veterinarians at North Star Resource Group in Seattle. In a recent dvm360.com article, “Why are so many veterinary grads financially illiterate,” Affeldt explored reasons why financial literacy is so variable among veterinary graduates. She said, “I ask students to rate their own financial literacy on a scale of 1 to 10—1 is Snoopy and 10 is Warren Buffett. The average is 3. It turns out that where they go to school makes a big difference.” Affeldt also examined loan forgiveness (she...

Check out how the Veterinary Debt Initiative is leading efforts in the student debt crisis at these upcoming VDI-sponsored speaker events: 2020 AVMA Veterinary Leadership Conference, Chicago, IL Friday 1/10/20 at 3 pm: Beyond Dollars and Cents: Leadership in Student Debt Strategies 2020 AAVMC Annual Conference, Washington D.C. 3/6-3/8: Time and location TBD ...

The AVMA Economic Summit held Oct. 22-23 in Schaumburg, showcased the current research and insights regarding issues impacting the economic sustainability of the veterinary profession.  The AVMA veterinary economics team, professionals from various allied groups, educational leaders and industry executives covered a wide range of topics including educational debt and behavioral economics. “The analysis presented at the summit integrates with the overall research and metrics strategy of the Veterinary Debt Initiative,” said Dr. David Granstrom, Assistant Executive Vice President of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), a Veterinary Debt Initiative...

Dr. Bridgette Bain, Associate Director of Analytics at the American Veterinary Medical Association, presented “Supply and Demand in the Market for Veterinary Education” at the AVMA Economic Summit held Oct. 22-23 in Schaumburg. Dr. Bain provided a comprehensive picture of the market and concluded with these key takeaways: The market for new veterinarians is robust. Salaries and the number of full-time employees are increasing. Many schools have experienced a year-over-year decrease in debt levels. What can schools with increasing debt levels learn from those with decreasing debt levels? The gender...

Several new CE webinars addressing financial issues have been added to the course catalog on AVMA Axon. These webinars are available to all veterinary professionals, and are free for AVMA and Student AVMA (SAVMA) members: Consolidation Counterpoint Explore a wide range of exit strategies, other than selling to a consolidator, that can put an exiting owner on firm financial footing while also providing for ongoing veterinary ownership of the practice. Dr. Link Welborn, president of Veterinary Study Groups, discusses key aspects and staging of the succession process, and examines arithmetic and...

The Center on Budget and Policies Priorities recently released a report on how state higher education funding cuts have pushed costs to students and worsened inequality. Specifically, the report finds: “Deep state cuts in funding for higher education over the last decade have contributed to rapid, significant tuition increases and pushed more of the costs of college to students, making it harder for them to enroll and graduate.” Alex Sands, Assistant Director of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Government Relations Division summarized the key points of the report: The benefits of...

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ (NASFAA) podcast “Off The Cuff” Episode 122: Diving Into the College Affordability Act explored the ins and outs of the newly released College Affordability Act, the House Democrats' bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act....